BlackBerry Q5 launched in India at Rs 24,990

Canadian phone maker BlackBerry today launched the Q5 smartphone in India, bringing its latest handset in the country. This smartphone is aimed at emerging markets and has been priced at Rs 24,990. It is the third BB10-powered phone to be launched in India, after the exorbitantly priced Z10 and Q10 smartphones.

BlackBerry Q5 has 3.1-inch touchscreen with 720x720p resolution, along with the Qwerty keyboard. It is powered by a 1.2GHz dual-core processor and packs 2GB RAM, 8GB internal storage. Storage can be expanded up to 32GB via microSD card in this phone.

Connectivity features of BlackBerry Q5 are 2G, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, microUSB 2.0 and NFC. The phone has a 5MP camera with LED flash on the back and 2MP camera in front. This mid-range smartphone runs on a 2,180mAh battery.

BlackBerry has used plastic in making Q5, instead of premium material like cold-forged steel (which forms the body of Q10). It is available in the market in red, white and black colours and will hit the stores on July 20. Q5 holds the distinction being one of the only two smartphones with a Qwerty keyboard in its price range, the other being the two-year-old BlackBerry Bold Touch 9900.

Major rivals of BlackBerry Q5 in the Indian smartphone market include the likes of Google Nexus 4, Samsung Galaxy S4 mini, Sony XperiaSP and Nokia Lumia 820.

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TCS beats Infosys to become India‘s most admired company

 TCS has emerged as India's most admired company ahead of Hindustan Unilever, ITC, and Infosys, says global management consultancy Hay Group. 

According to the findings of the second edition of India's Most Admired Companies (IMAC) compiled by Hay Group in association with Fortune India, TCS replaced last year's winner group company Tata Steel by scoring highest on parameters such as corporate governance, financial soundness, and talent management. 

Second-ranked FMCG HUL has been rated highest on its endurance and product quality, while ITC and Infosys share the joint third spot. SBI, L&T, Tata Steel, ONGC, Maruti Suzuki, and ICICI Bank also feature in the top 10. 

Commenting on the findings, Hay Group India MD Gaurav Lahiri said "this year, two criteria in particular, Leadership, and Creating Shareholder Value, separated the Top 10 from the rest of the winners, with Talent Management coming in a close third." 

Interestingly, last year's top 10 did not include any PSEs - accounted for by SBI and ONGC this year. ICICI makes its debut in the top ten this year, while Colgate Palmolive, Tata Motors, and Dell India all have slipped down the order compared to their ranking last year. 

The top 10 of India's most admired companies also include SBI (5th), L&T (6th), Tata Steel (7th), ONGC (8th), Maruti Suzuki (9th) and ICICI Bank (10th). 

Lahiri further added that "as demonstrated by the IMACs, in today's uncertain business environment, it is more important than ever for organisations to create shareholder value through good leadership and talent management practices." 

The study was based on a unique peer ranking methodology, that covered 493 companies across 16 key sectors. Findings represent a report card on corporate reputations that involves more than just profits and performance for India Inc.

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India top destination for data theft: Report

As the country's estimated $108 billion IT services industry is becoming the world's favoured outsourcing centre, India is emerging as a popular destination for cyber data theft and may witness growing activity of hackers, says a latest report.

"Data theft is one of the biggest risks posed before the companies in the banking sector. Emerging underground websites help the data thieves to immediately encash the stolen data. Same data can be sold to multiple interested buyers in these underground black markets," the report by Pune-based Indiaforensic said.

It said the availability of low cost resources for cyber activities in the country is also another factor contributing in stealing of financial data.

"When it comes to information technology, India is full of low cost resources. When the anti-fraud mastermind is required to carry out the dedicated hacking activity or a spear-phishing activity, services of various experts are sought for.

"This includes technology experts like spammers, designers and non technology experts like cashiers, droppers, money mules etc. These resources are easily available at very low cost," said the report by Indiaforensic, a firm which conducts fraud examination, security, risk management and forensic accounting research.

The firm has also helped the country's investigating agencies like CBI in several high profile cases such as the multi-crore Satyam scam. Financial data is one of the most lucrative data for the fraud masterminds.

"India's USD 108 billion IT services industry is the world's favoured destination for outsourcing. Over 40 per cent of exports by the industry are support services for the global financial sector, ranging from investment bank back-office functions to research, risk-management and processing of insurance claims," it said.

One needs digital currencies to buy stolen credit card numbers in this underground deep web, mainstream currencies like Euro or USD are not allowed in this portion of web, the report 'Laundering in Cyber World- The Digital Currency Way' said.

Data theft becomes critical when it is perpetrated by outsiders like hackers, malwares and phishers having access to technology programs capable of accessing and stealing digital information such as credit card numbers, debit card numbers, prepaid value card numbers and bank account credentials, it said.

"India is going to witness growing activity of hackers due to the growth of outsourcing units. There is a direct nexus between the outsourcing firms in the financial vertical and the data theft," the report said. It said the recent $45 million ATM heist, Bank of Muscat in Oman and the RAKBANK (UAE) had the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) operations in India.

"ElectraCard Services was the company that processed prepaid travel cards for National Bank of Ras Al Khaimah PSC (RAKBANK) and Bangalore-based Enstage Inc, which processed the transactions for the Bank of Muscat in Oman," it cited as example of the growing menace of data theft.

"ITeS based firms and securities agencies need to further upgrade infrastructure to check any incident of data theft," said Mayur Joshi, founder member of Indiaforensic.

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Buyer‘s guide: Good tablet within Rs 25,000

I want to buy a tablet within Rs 25,000. Could you please suggest a few options?

—Rahil Bhandari, Ashok Tandel, Vicky Jain 

In your budget, you can pick up a 16GB iPad Mini (Wi-Fi , 7.9-inch screen) for Rs 21,900, or you could get an iPad 2 (Wi-Fi , 9.5-inch screen) for 24,500. Both Apple devices run the proprietary iOS operating system; boast of a superb - almost crashproof - user experience; and have the best apps ecosystem.

In fact, iOS is the only platform that has offerings created specifically for the tablet form factor. Additionally, you also get free cloud-based storage through iCloud, as well as the FaceTime feature that lets you conduct video chats with other Apple device users. On the flip side, with both 16GB tablets, you do not have the option to expand device memory; you are tied down to iTunes—not the most friendliest of software to use on a PC—and yes, you are limited to browsing the web via Wi-Fi only, with no support for 3G.

Alternatively, you could opt for a slate that runs the Android OS. Here, you could consider the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 P3110 (Wi-Fi , 7-inch screen) for Rs 14,800, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 P3100 (Wi-Fi , 3G, 7-inch screen) for Rs 15,000, the Nexus 7 Tablet (Wi-Fi , 32 GB) for Rs 18,999, or the Nexus 7C Tablet (Wi-Fi , 3G, 32 GB) for Rs 21,999.

With the Nexus tablets you get a 1.2GHz quad-core processor, 32GB internal memory (no support for expandable memory). With the Samsung devices you get a 1GHz dual-core CPU, 16GB internal memory, and support for up to 32GB expandable memory. The Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 P3110 and the Nexus 7 tablet, however, are 'Wi-Fi-only' devices.

With Android, you get an open app ecosystem, with a greater number of free apps, and fantastic integration with Google services. Besides, transferring digital content to and from your Android device is virtually hassle-free , when compared to iOS tablets. In conclusion: Pick the iPad 2 if you want a large-screen tablet; the iPad Mini, if you want a lighter tablet, don't care about 3G support, but want a super app experience; opt for the Nexus 7C if you want 3G and more than just 16GB memory; the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 P3110 if you want 3G and expandable memory.

Alternatively, if 3G is not that important to you, you can always choose between the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 P3110 and the Nexus 7 Tablet. 

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HTC Butterfly S goes official on India website

Taiwanese manufacturer HTC has listed its Butterfly S smartphone on its India website. The phone was globally announced last month and features technologies that were showcased earlier in its flagship handset HTC One. The company has not revealed the price of the phone, along with an official launch date. The listing of the phone in the country before its global launch has given rise to speculation that India will be among the first markets to get this handset.

The all-new Butterfly S has a 5-inch screen with 1920x1080p resolution and 441ppi pixel density. The phone runs on the 1.9GHz Snapdragon 600 processor (that powers the Samsung Galaxy S4) and comes with 2GB RAM. This device packs 16GB onboard storage and supports expansion up to 64GB via microSD cards. HTC also offers 25GB of free Dropbox storage with the phone.

HTC has included its UltraPixel technology in the 4MP rear camera of Butterfly S; the front camera of this handset has resolution of 2.1MP and a LED flash is placed on the back. Connectivity options in the phone include 2G, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, microUSB 2.0 and NFC. The phone runs on Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean), topped with the manufacturer's proprietary Sense user interface.

HTC Butterfly S will compete against the new crop of phones with full HD screens, including Samsung Galaxy S4, Sony Xperia Z, LG Optimus G Pro and its sibling HTC One. Other rivals are Apple iPhone 5, Nokia Lumia 925 and BlackBerry Z10. Its predecessor, Butterfly, remains the most expensive Android phone in India at Rs 45,500.

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Rovio announces Angry Birds: Star Wars II

Finnish mobile game maker Rovio has announced a new addition to its Angry Birds franchise. The company announced the new game via a blog post and said that it will hit app stores on September 19. This new game, titled Angry Birds: Star Wars II, is the sixth game to be published under the franchise, which also consists of the spin-off Bad Piggies. 

Angry Birds: Star Wars II will introduce a new range of characters, with users being given access to 30 of them in game-play. Gamers who wish to play from the Sith Empire's side will now be able to join the pigs' side in the game. The company said, "We will not comment on rumours or speculation that Jar Jar Binks will be in the game." 

Rovio has partnered with toymaker Hasbro to release a line of collectibles called Telepods. The post stated, "Placing these figures (Telepods) onto your phone or tablet camera will scan your character of choice directly into the game, allowing you to select new characters on the fly." 

The company will also release new toys, books, apparel at the launch of Angry Birds: Star Wars II on September 19.

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Nokia bets big in Indian app developers

Nokia said it would continue to offer relevant innovations to the 18-24-year-old consumers at affordable price points to maintain momentum in the smartphone category.

Launching Nokia Asha 501, the new generation of smartphones to run on Asha Platform, Viral Oza, Director Marketing, Nokia India said the digital consumer would get a better experience through the new offering. The handset that works on the principle of fast swipe has majority of applications developed by Indian developers.

"Indian developers are more cued in to the way Indian consumers things. Cricket for example, is a big sport here. Hence, it is imperative to have cricket games on the handset. A developer elsewhere, perhaps would not appreciate this aspect while developing a phone app," Oza explained.

A swipe unlocks the handset, closes apps and could be used to shift beween home screen or fastlane. Fastlane enables the user to see the present, past and future usage details. Oza said the Asha platform provides developers with an open, standards-based environment for creating quality apps for consumers.

Apps created for Nokia Asha 501 would be compatible with future Asha-platform devices.

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‘World‘s most advanced computer dumber than a five-year old‘

One of the world's best artificial intelligence computers is only as smart as a four year old human child, a new study suggests. 

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago IQ-tested one of the best available artificial intelligence systems to see how intelligent it really is. 

It turned out that the computer is about as smart as the average four-year-old, researchers said. 

The UIC team put ConceptNet 4, an artificial intelligence system developed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), through the verbal portions of the Weschsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence Test, a standard IQ assessment for young children. 

They found ConceptNet 4 has the average IQ of a young child. But unlike most children, the machine's scores were very uneven across different portions of the test. 

"If a child had scores that varied this much, it might be a symptom that something was wrong," said Robert Sloan, professor and head of computer science at UIC, and lead author on the study. 

Sloan said ConceptNet 4 did very well on a test of vocabulary and on a test of its ability to recognise similarities. 

"But ConceptNet 4 did dramatically worse than average on comprehension - the 'why' questions," he said. 

One of the hardest problems in building an artificial intelligence, Sloan said, is devising a computer programme that can make sound and prudent judgement based on a simple perception of the situation or facts-the dictionary definition of commonsense. 

Commonsense has eluded artificial intelligence engineers because it requires both a very large collection of facts and what Sloan calls implicit facts-things so obvious that we don't know we know them. A computer may know the temperature at which water freezes, but we know that ice is cold. 

"All of us know a huge number of things. As babies, we crawled around and yanked on things and learned that things fall. We yanked on other things and learned that dogs and cats don't appreciate having their tails pulled," said Sloan. 

"We are still very far from programmes with commonsense - artificial intelligence that can answer comprehension questions with the skill of a child of eight," said Sloan.

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Windows XP users urged to upgrade OS

Indian cybersecurity sleuths have issued an alert for those using the popular 'Window XP' as operating system in their computers and laptops and advised "immediate" upgrade of software against hacking attempts. 

Software giant Microsoft had announced that it is going to stop support services to 'Windows XP' OS from April 8 next year and according to cyberspace authorities monitoring the Indian internet systems, the decision will have a direct effect for the all the users working on the same OS. 

"The end of support of Windows XP operating system means that Microsoft will not provide security updates, non-security hotfixes, free or paid assisted support and any online technical support for the Windows XP. In the absence of patches and security updates for the Windows XP OS, the computer systems would be at greater risks and could be easily compromised by the hackers. 

"There would also be compliance issues due to un- supported and un-patched components in the IT infrastructure which may result in non-compliance and suspension of certifications by the certifying and auditing organizations. The software vendors and hardware manufacturers will also stop support for Windows XP on their new versions and models," the Computer Emergency Response Team-India (CeRT-IN) said in its latest advisory to computer users in India. 

"It is recommended that all the users and organisations using Window XP OS in their environment should immediately plan for upgradation to the latest available OS according to their requirement and test software applications well before April, 2014," it said. 

According to officials, the maximum of Indian computer and laptop users operate on Windows platform and after the recent declaration, users should keep themselves informed about the new and secure OS available in the market. 

Microsoft had initially released Windows XP OS in August 2001. The current release version of Windows XP is called the Windows XP Service Pack 3. 

Since then, three successor versions of client based OS namely Windows Vista in November 2006, Windows 7 in July 2009 and Windows 8 in August 2012 were released by Microsoft. 

The latest client based OS available from the Microsoft stable is Windows 8.

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Phones that will ‘self-destruct’ under development

Imagine this: There's no need to throw out your old cellphone, because it will self-destruct.

That's the idea behind a project at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where researchers are investigating how to build electronics that vanish in water. 

John Rogers is a professor of Materials Science and Engineering at the university. Rogers says the goal of the "born to die" program is to design transient technology that can dissolve at the end of its useful life, thus saving space in landfills and reducing waste. 

The research team isn't there yet. But it has designed a chip built on a thin film of silk that dissolves when hit with water.

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Driverless cars‘ trails to begin in UK

The first ever trial of self-driving cars on Britain's busy roads will take place later this year.

Researchers from the Oxford University have been working with Japanese multinational automaker Nissan on the technology and have already tested a car on a private road in a science park.

However, permission has now been granted by the Department for Transport in UK for trials on roads with other traffic.

While the cars will be driving themselves, a back up driver will be seated inside as a safety measure.

The self-driving cars will be tested on lightly used rural and suburban roads initially, 'The Telegraph' reported.

Scientists have adapted a robot car, which is capable of running on a predetermined familiar route, although the driver can reassert control by tapping on the brakes.

The trials of the driver-less cars and a pledge to pump another 500 million pounds into electric vehicles are the cornerstone of the UK government's strategy.

Internet search giant Google has already tested driver-less cars on 1,60,934 kilometres of roads in San Francisco, the report said.

These cars have been left to drive themselves using cameras, radar and laser sensors.

Behind the trials is the belief that cars - which already have an array of collision avoidance systems - can be made even safer.

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Yahoo gets midas touch back, courtesy CEO Mayer

Not much had been going right for Yahoo until it lured Marissa Mayer away from Google to become its CEO last summer. The move is shaping up as the best thing to happen to Yahoo since 2005 when it invested $1 billion in what was then a little-known internet company in China, Alibaba.

Mayer's magnetism and Alibaba's prosperity are now combining to transform Yahoo from a tale of woe into a comeback story that is winning over Silicon Valley and Wall Street.

People are spending more time on Yahoo's flagship website. Talented engineers and entrepreneurs are coming to work for the

company. Investors are adding its long-languishing stock to their portfolios again. The signs of renewed interest and hope mark a dramatic change from the feelings of hopelessness that had enveloped Yahoo under the direction of six CEOs in the six years leading up to Mayer's appointment.

Yahoo's reversal of fortune will be in the spotlight on Tuesday when the Sunnyvale, California, company releases its second-quarter financial results on the one-year anniversary of Mayer's surprise hiring from Google. Mayer, 38, had been a top executive who played a key role in Google's evolution from start-up to powerhouse.

Tuesday's results aren't expected to be anything special, but that probably won't matter as long as Mayer can keep convincing people that Yahoo is making steady progress after years of aimlessness.

Since her arrival, Mayer has orchestrated 17 acquisitions, including a $1.1 billion purchase of internet blogging service Tumblr, Yahoo's biggest in a decade. Yahoo's home page, email and Flickr photo service have all been redesigned, and a few mobile applications have been upgraded, helping to increase use of the company's internet services. And Yahoo's revenue is increasing, if ever so slightly, after three straight years of decline.

Despite all that, Mayer can't take much credit for Yahoo's resurgent stock. Most of the 75% increase in the shares has been driven by the rising value of the company's stake in Alibaba Group, which owns a network of bustling e-commerce and digital payment services in China.

Indeed, it's Alibaba that is making Mayer look so good as it prepares for an eagerly anticipated initial public offering that's expected to happen by early next year.

"The performance of Yahoo's stock under Marissa has virtually nothing to do with what everyone associates with Yahoo -- the US operations," Macquarie Capital analyst Ben Schachter said. "We really haven't seen a significant change in the operations yet."

Mayer wasn't involved in the initial investment in Alibaba. Shortly after Mayer came on board, however, Yahoo realized a $7.6 billion windfall by selling roughly half of its Alibaba stake back to the Chinese company.

Investors have been pleased with what Mayer has done with the money. She has used most of the after-tax proceeds to buy back Yahoo's stock, a tactic that has funneled money back to them and boosted the company's earnings per share by reducing the amount of outstanding stock. Yahoo ended April with 1.08 billion outstanding shares, a decrease of 102 million, or 9%, from last July.

Yahoo still owns a 24% stake in Alibaba. Schachter estimates that could bring in another $20 billion when Yahoo sells the rest of its holdings. Some of the money is expected to come in at the time of the Alibaba's IPO, with the rest coming after the Chinese company goes public.

That looming jackpot is the main reason that Yahoo's stock has climbed so much during Mayer's tenure. The run-up has occurred even though Yahoo has still been losing ground to Google and Facebook in the internet ad market that generates most of their revenue. The trend is likely to surface once again in Tuesday's earnings report.

While Alibaba has boosted Yahoo's stock in the short term, Mayer is trying to set the stage for a comeback in the long term.

"As I've said before, companies with the best talent win, and it's clear we're now back in the game," Mayer declared during Yahoo's most recent earnings conference call in April.

Mayer, who declined interview requests through a spokeswoman, describes her turnaround plan then as a "series of sprints" that will take several years to finish. She believes she completed the first phase by improving employee morale at Yahoo and ending the three-year downturn in Yahoo's annual revenue.

It was a modest achievement, given that Yahoo's revenue increased by just 2% last year, after its ad commissions. The growth lagged the 15% increase in the overall US digital advertising market last year, according to the Interactive Advertising Bureau. Facebook's revenue grew 37% over the same period, while Google's was up 21%, excluding revenue from last year's acquisition of Motorola Mobility.

Mayer is now focused on redesigning Yahoo's internet services and improving its applications for smartphones and tablets in an effort to persuade people to check in more frequently and stay for longer periods of time.

The makeover of Yahoo's home page, in particular, appears to be winning over web surfers. In May, the total amount of time spent on Yahoo.com in the US rose by 36% from the same time last year, according to research firm comScore. That followed a 35% year-over-year increase in April and a 26% increase in March.

The increased usage gives Yahoo more opportunities to show ads, although Mayer has repeatedly warned it may be two or three more years until the company's revenue is keeping pace with the rest of the market.

S&P Capital IQ analyst Scott Kessler said that while Alibaba is the primary springboard for Yahoo's stock, some credit also belongs to Mayer for her ideas and the credibility she brought after spending 13 years helping to build Google into the internet's most powerful company.

"Yahoo had been thought of as an also-ran and now it's a player again. A lot of that has to do with Marissa's presence," Kessler said. "She could have done just about anything she wanted, but she chose to become Yahoo's CEO, and that said a lot."

Mayer's pedigree also has helped persuade more startups to sell themselves to Yahoo, bringing along their expertise and innovations. Yahoo's 17 acquisitions under Mayer have mostly been deals so small that the company hasn't had to disclose the price that it paid. The one exception: the Tumblr purchase.

It's a $1.1 billion gamble that Yahoo might not have afforded, if not for the cash coming in from its propitious Alibaba investment.

That 2005 Alibaba deal was pulled off by two of Mayer's frequently maligned predecessors as Yahoo CEO, former movie studio mogul Terry Semel and company co-founder Jerry Yang. At that time, Yahoo was looking for a way to reduce its direct exposure to China while still retaining some exposure to what has turned into world's largest internet market.

Alibaba has since blossomed into one of the world's fastest growing internet companies with revenue last year of $1.8 billion, an 80% increase from 2011. Alibaba's earnings more than doubled last year to $642 million.

Semel was Yahoo's CEO at the time of the Alibaba investment. He resigned in 2007 under pressure from shareholders who were unhappy with Yahoo's deteriorating financial performance. He was succeeded by Yang, whose friendship with Alibaba founder Jack Ma and connections in China paved the way for the deal. Yang resigned as CEO in late 2008 amid shareholder outrage over a squandered opportunity to sell Yahoo to Microsoft for $47.5 billion, or $33 per share.

Not long after Microsoft withdrew its offer, Yahoo's stock fell into a deep funk that kept its price below $20 for more than four years. Now, it may not be much longer before Yahoo's stock surpasses the price offered by Microsoft. The shares closed Monday at $27.34, up from $15.65 when Mayer took over.

"In hindsight, the Alibaba investment was the single greatest creation of value that Yahoo has ever done," Schachter said.

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